Idaho House approves optional mobile driver’s license after hours of debate

Representative from District 32, the bill sponsor, told the House on March 11 that House Bill 78 would give Idahoans an optional mobile driver’s license that would not replace the physical card and would be voluntary for users.

The sponsor said the mobile credential is “100% optional” and described the technology as a way to let people share only the information they choose. “The officer will never take your phone. He will never touch your phone,” the sponsor said, adding that the system is built on national trust-key standards and that another state offered its existing app to Idaho, which reduced the projected cost.

Supporters argued the measure increases convenience and may improve security compared with a lost or stolen physical wallet. Representative from District 31 said the phone is usually locked and that if the phone is lost “they can’t access it” without the phone’s lock. Several other proponents emphasized that participation is voluntary and compared the credential to existing mobile payment and device-authentication systems.

Opponents pressed privacy and security concerns during extended floor debate. Representative from District 6 said he had asked sheriffs in his district and “every one of them said, no. This is a bad idea.” Other critics warned that private companies could commercialize identity data; Representative (no district specified in the transcript) told colleagues, “The cloud isn’t just a place off in the ether. The cloud is somebody else’s computer.” Some members raised unfamiliarity with the underlying technology and asked whether data could be stored or routed overseas.

The sponsor responded to questions about cost and data custody, saying an earlier fiscal estimate (about $158,000) reflected building a state app; that estimate fell after another state offered its app to Idaho and agency staff said the Department of Transportation could absorb the remaining technical work. The sponsor also said cybersecurity experts at national labs and the state’s sheriffs association had reviewed aspects of the approach and that the system relies on public/private key exchanges and NIST standards.

The House voted by roll call on the question “Shall House Bill 78 as amended pass the House?” The clerk recorded 37 ayes and 33 nays. The motion passed and the bill will be transmitted to the Senate.